A novel electric spark precipitation and electrospinning strategy to prepare cerium hydroxide nanocomposite for phosphate uptake from aqueous solutions

Abstract

Phosphorus is a main cause of eutrophication in water bodies, the use of adsorbents to reduce phosphate concentration in water is considered an effective way to combat eutrophication. Herein, a new and effective strategy for phosphorus removal with a PAN based cerium hydroxide nanocomposite (CHP) is shown, we combined electrospinning and spark ablation techniques, where an electrospun fiber membrane polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was used as a carrier, spark ablation produced clean nano-cerium aerosol embedded in it as the active ingredient, and a combined hydrothermal method to develop PAN based cerium hydroxide nanocomposite (CHP), the crystal size of ceria nanoparticles was 120–210 nm. CHP can capture phosphate selectively with a maximum adsorption capacity of 86.7 mg·P/g, which is higher than that for most cerium-based adsorbents and is easily separated from the liquid with high efficiency and economy. The adsorption mechanism showed that CeO2 plays an important role in phosphorus adsorption through oxidation, reduction, and ligand exchange. Compared to mesoporous structures, fibrous structures are more favorable for reducing the aggregation of nanoparticles (NPs) and adsorption of large phosphate species. The spark ablation method immobilized active cerium dioxide NPs very stably on the fiber with high efficiency and limited environmental impact. In conclusion, our results have promising applications for lake eutrophication treatment.